Pepper X Sets Guinness Record for Hottest Pepper
2023-10-18
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1Ed Currie is the pepper expert who grew the Carolina Reaper, which has been considered the hottest pepper in the world since 2013.
2Ten years later, Currie broke his record with one that is three times hotter: Pepper X.
3The Guinness Book of World Records named Currie's latest creation the world's "hottest chili pepper" this month.
4Guinness uses what are called Scoville Heat Units (SHU) to measure heat in a chili pepper.
5A normal jalapeno pepper registers about 5,000 units.
6A habanero, the record-holder about 25 years ago, reaches 100,000 SHU.
7The Carolina Reaper held the record since 2013 with 1.64 million SHU.
8And Pepper X is the new record holder with an average of 2.69 million units.
9By comparison, pepper spray commonly carried by police is around 1.6 million units.
10And bear spray, a product to keep bears away, is advertised to have 2.2 million units.
11Currie said when he first tried Pepper X, "I was feeling the heat for three-and-a-half hours."
12Currie, one of only five people so far to eat an entire Pepper X added, "Then the cramps came."
13The cramps, he said, left him lying in pain for another hour.
14Currie started working on Pepper X after he set the record in 2013 with the Carolina Reaper.
15He crossbred 100 different kinds of peppers every year for 10 years.
16Currie hoped that just one or two would make it through the development process.
17His goal was to offer an extremely hot pepper flavored with a little sweetness.
18Pepper X is greenish yellow.
19It is a crossbreed of a Carolina Reaper and, what Currie mysteriously called, a "pepper that a friend of mine sent me from Michigan that was brutally hot."
20The chemical in peppers that causes the burn is called capsaicin.
21The chemical causes a burning sensation when it touches human tissue.
22The burning sensation is also said to release chemicals into the body called endorphins and dopamine.
23Currie started growing peppers after ending drug and alcohol addictions.
24He considers that sensation a natural "high."
25He shares his peppers with medical researchers, hoping they can use them to treat disease and help people who suffer chronic pain or discomfort.
26Currie is trying to build a business with his new creation.
27In the past, Currie permitted people to grow his peppers without protecting his ideas.
28His lawyers say they have counted more than 10,000 products that use the Carolina Reaper name, or other intellectual property, without permission.
29For Pepper X, he said no seeds will be released without his permission.
30"Everybody else made their money off the Reaper. It's time for us to reap the benefits of the hard work I do," Currie said.
31Currie wants people to eat peppers and thinks they can gain from the experience that comes after the burn.
32He warns people from reaching too quickly for a Carolina Reaper or Pepper X.
33When asked if Pepper X is the "pinnacle" or the hottest a pepper can be, Currie said with a smile, "No, it's not the pinnacle."
34I'm Jill Robbins.
1Ed Currie is the pepper expert who grew the Carolina Reaper, which has been considered the hottest pepper in the world since 2013. Ten years later, Currie broke his record with one that is three times hotter: Pepper X. 2The Guinness Book of World Records named Currie's latest creation the world's "hottest chili pepper" this month. 3Guinness uses what are called Scoville Heat Units (SHU) to measure heat in a chili pepper. A normal jalapeno pepper registers about 5,000 units. A habanero, the record-holder about 25 years ago, reaches 100,000 SHU. 4The Carolina Reaper held the record since 2013 with 1.64 million SHU. And Pepper X is the new record holder with an average of 2.69 million units. By comparison, pepper spray commonly carried by police is around 1.6 million units. And bear spray, a product to keep bears away, is advertised to have 2.2 million units. 5Currie said when he first tried Pepper X, "I was feeling the heat for three-and-a-half hours." Currie, one of only five people so far to eat an entire Pepper X added, "Then the cramps came." The cramps, he said, left him lying in pain for another hour. 6Currie started working on Pepper X after he set the record in 2013 with the Carolina Reaper. He crossbred 100 different kinds of peppers every year for 10 years. Currie hoped that just one or two would make it through the development process. His goal was to offer an extremely hot pepper flavored with a little sweetness. 7Pepper X is greenish yellow. It is a crossbreed of a Carolina Reaper and, what Currie mysteriously called, a "pepper that a friend of mine sent me from Michigan that was brutally hot." 8The chemical in peppers that causes the burn is called capsaicin. The chemical causes a burning sensation when it touches human tissue. The burning sensation is also said to release chemicals into the body called endorphins and dopamine. 9Currie started growing peppers after ending drug and alcohol addictions. He considers that sensation a natural "high." He shares his peppers with medical researchers, hoping they can use them to treat disease and help people who suffer chronic pain or discomfort. 10Currie is trying to build a business with his new creation. In the past, Currie permitted people to grow his peppers without protecting his ideas. His lawyers say they have counted more than 10,000 products that use the Carolina Reaper name, or other intellectual property, without permission. 11For Pepper X, he said no seeds will be released without his permission. "Everybody else made their money off the Reaper. It's time for us to reap the benefits of the hard work I do," Currie said. 12Currie wants people to eat peppers and thinks they can gain from the experience that comes after the burn. He warns people from reaching too quickly for a Carolina Reaper or Pepper X. 13When asked if Pepper X is the "pinnacle" or the hottest a pepper can be, Currie said with a smile, "No, it's not the pinnacle." 14I'm Jill Robbins. 15Hai Do adapted this report for VOA Learning English from the Associated Press and other sources. 16_________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18cramps -n. (usually pl) a feeling of pain and tightening often near the stomach or abdomen or in the muscles 19crossbred -v. to purposely breed different versions of similar plants so that the offspring will have certain qualities 20addiction -n. a strong and harmful need to regularly have something, often a drug, or to do something like gambling 21chronic -adj. (medical) continuing for a long time or repeatedly 22intellectual property -n. the inventions of a person that are recognized as that person's property and which cannot legally be copied 23benefits -n. (pl.) the good results of work 24We want to hear from you. 25Our comment policy is here.